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Tables, Results Fixtures. Division 1 Saturday.
Last Fixture and Report
Off and Running
Glenwood secure first point in ding-dong battle
St Marks 5-5 Glenwood
Saturday Nov 13th 2004
White Hart Lane was not the only place where the goals rained in on Saturday
afternoon,
for in the wilds of West Tallaght Glenwood and St Marks served up
a goalfest unencumbered by any sense of defensive
nous, and eventually
settled for a point apiece after ten goals had been notched.
Neither side could feel unhappy
with the outcome, with the lead swinging back
and forward as pacey attacks swamped leaden-footed defences. As the dust
settled,
Johnny Roche marched off with the match ball, a hat-trick secured by
the precious equalising header with less than five
minutes to go. Added to a
fine free kick from Russell (equalled by a Marks effort in the second half)
and a goal by
yours truly, this was a game that did nothing for the nerves of
the managers, but underlined the AUL's status as the most
exciting league in
Dublin.
With late drop-outs, manager Ward had to opt for another new line-up. Mark
O'Brien
performed Rio-like (you may draw your own conclusions) at centre-back
alongside the quickly injured Ward. Russell patrolled
the centre with O'Brien
Senior, and Roche and Koomson hassled and harried up front. Russell's free
kick secured an early
lead but at half time and 2-1 down, a familiar scenario
had reasserted itself.
A reshuffle brought sub Ross O'Brien
on at full back and Roche began the
fightback with a beautifully lobbed finish. Two badly defended goals in quick
succession
looked to have sunk Glenwood at one stage but the fight continued,
and Roche's late equaliser was thoroughly deserved.
And
so Glenwood return to the Cup next week with their first League point
safely bagged. Still bottom but with games in hand,
the great journey has
begun with a single step.
Oct 2 2004
Nivea Cup 2nd Round
Aungier Celtic 0 Glenwood Rovers 3
( By our match reporter, E.C. Win)
All teams may be competing in the Nivea For Men Cup, but there was no doubting who the real
men were in Ballyfermot last Saturday. For on a windswept afternoon in LeFanu Park, Glenwood Rovers showed they had the steel
and spirit to overcome difficult conditions and a spate of injuries, to defeat last season's Division One champions Aungier
Celtic. Goals from Kieran McSherry, right on half-time, followed by two late strikes from Johnny Roche, were just reward for
an outstanding performance.
Injuries and withdrawals had once again forced manager Niall Ward to reshuffle his pack, with Mick
McBride dropping back into central defence, Brian Gilroy moving to right back, and Paul Waters returning in an unfamiliar
role on the left. And this new-look defensive unit knew it would face a grilling from the start. Aungier, who dropped just
two points in cruising to the title last year, took advantage of a noticeable slope and a gale-force wind, to instantly pile
pressure on the away side. While the sheer strength of the wind made it difficult on occasion for Aungier to control long
balls, the majority of play still flowed in the direction of the visitors' goal. But the defence, marshalled superbly
by Ward, and with Mark O'Brien looking increasingly assured in goal, restricted their opponents to half-chances
and hurried shots, and would have been fully deserving of parity by half-time. But then there came a late twist. In a rare
foray upfield, Glenwood won a free kick.Ward delivered to the back post, where Ray Koomson's strong header was parried straight
to Kieran McSherry. The Glenwood captain finished from close range, and his team turned downwind
with an unexpected bonus.
But if any of those in the Glenwood ranks thought that the hard work had been done, they were
quickly proved wrong. Right from the start of the second half, Aungier attacked with even more ferocity, despite now facing
the gale. Rovers struggled to hang on, as with the passage of time, the home side piled yet more men forward. At one point,
a colleague in the press box counted all ten outfield players, the goalkeeper, two unused subs, the physio, and a man out
walking his dog, all surging into the Glenwood box, hoping to get on the end of a cross from Aungier's kit-man, who was marauding
down the right wing. As Mick McBride might have said afterwards, "Now I know what a kitchen sink feels like"
But Rovers' defensive discipline was outstanding. Cross after cross was cleared, often
to the grateful midfield players, who forraged for scraps as best they could. And their ceaseless hard work would ultimately
be rewarded. Five minutes from time, after a largely frustrating afternoon, Johnny Roche picked up a loose ball in Aungier's
half. Twisting and turning like a twisty, turny thing, Roche waited and waited, and when the gap came, drove firmly into the
top right corner of the net. Glenwood were nearly home. And in the final minute, Koomson chased a long ball into the
box, was pulled down by the Aungier keeper, and Roche converted the spot-kick. The scoreline might be flattering, but
the victory was fully deserved, and the visitors returned home for a night of warming-down, muscle-rubs, and high-energy
sports drinks.
So Glenwood go into the hat for the next round, while Aungier must surely go into
denial about what happened to them on a wild and windswept afternoon in LeFanu Park.
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